Touchstone
by Stelena-Beautiful
Summary: Sonny is Emily's touchstone - her home. Emson, circa 2007.


**Touchstone**

_**Another oldie but goodie lol This one shot was written in 2007.**_

Emily Quartermaine hesitated to knock as she huddled on the door step, rain from the gutter spilling onto her already wet Gucci sling backs. Her hair was also soaked, hanging down her shoulders like a straggly, wet mop.

She knew better than to come here- not when she felt so upset and vulnerable - but it honestly was the first place she had thought to run to. It was the last place she had felt truly safe.

The door suddenly opened and Kate Howard stormed out, looking angry enough to kill. She shot Emily a dirty look. "Perfect – just perfect," she muttered. "I knew Sonny couldn't wait forever but this is downright embarrassing."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

Kate didn't answer, just turned her coat collar up, and dashed for the safety of her car.

_I shouldn't be here,_ Emily thought. She started to follow in Kate's direction when she heard a soft, familiar voice say her name.

"Emily?" It was spoken as a question – as if he couldn't quite believe that she was there.

She turned back. "Hi, Sonny."

"What are you doing out there? Come in, it's pouring!" Without waiting for an answer, Sonny pulled Emily into the house and shut the door. His breath was warm on her face. "Let me get you some towels to dry off."

"T-thanks," Emily said, feeling him moving her along through the hall and into the living room. He made her sit down and then dashed to the bathroom to grab some towels. When he returned, he gently draped two of them over her shoulders. Emily sat there for a moment, just staring into his dark, chocolate eyes.

Sonny cracked a smile. "Dry off before you catch pneumonia."

Emily smiled weakly. "That's an old wives tale, Sonny," she said. "Besides, it's the middle of summer. I like the rain."

"What are you doing here?" Sonny asked, sitting on the other side of the sofa, far enough away so that they weren't touching. Although at that moment, Emily would have given anything to have him just touch her face softly like he used to.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come –"

"Don't ever say that. This was your home too for a while. Besides, you're here now. You need something and I want to help."

Emily nodded. "I just felt like I needed a friend."

"Are you okay?"

"Nikolas and I had a fight. He was acting weird tonight when we went out to dinner. I don't know what was going on with him. But he almost ..."

"What?" Sonny asked, frowning.

"Scared me, I guess."

"Did he put his hands on you? Did he hurt you in some way?" Sonny asked, anger filling his voice. "I'll find him and I'll kill him."

"No, Sonny, don't!" Emily said. "He didn't hurt me – not really. He was just a little rough when we kissed, wanted to hurry up and get to the bedroom –" She abruptly broke off what she had been about to say. "I shouldn't be telling you this …

"Emily, did he hurt you? Did he try to rape you?"

"No! No. Nikolas isn't a monster. He was just a little aggressive and I just wanted to get out of there. I couldn't help thinking of how you got me through all of my problems with Nikolas – how you were my rock."

"Emily, it was the other way around - you were my rock," he said, taking her hand, and stroking it. Emily shivered at his familiar touch – a touch she hadn't felt in much too long.

"I just always felt so safe with you," she said. "I guess it was instinct to come running to you. I have done it for so long."

"Why didn't you come before now?"

"Because I didn't need to."

"You never needed my friendship?"

"Well, of course, I did, but it would have been so awkward. It still kind of is …"

"Why should it be?" Sonny asked. "We're still friends, aren't we? We didn't end our relationship in a bad way – at least I don't think we did. We can still be a part of each other's lives."

Emily sighed. "Sonny, it's just too hard."

"What is?"

_To be around you and not want to touch you and hold you, and lie in your arms, and tell you my dreams,_ Emily thought, but didn't dare say that aloud.

"Nothing."

"Emily, I care about you. I want you to know that. You can come to me for anything – any time, day or night."

"Thanks." Emily felt tears in her eyes and tried to hold them back. "I miss being friends."

"Me too," Sonny admitted. "I will be talking to Nikolas. I will set him straight about the way he is to treat you."

Emily shook her head, toweling the ends of her hair. "No; don't worry about it. I'm fine. I'm just being overly dramatic." She shook her head. "I saw Kate leaving when I got here. Is everything okay with you two?"

Sonny grimaced. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Sonny," Emily said sternly. "Friendships go both ways. It's not fair if only one of us gets the chance to say what's on our mind." She took his other hand. "Tell me what's going on. Please. I want to know."

"Nothing. Kate and I were seeing each other, if you want to call it that, and now it is over."

"What happened?"

"Emily, please, you didn't come here to talk about me."

"Sonny, tell me. Maybe I can help."

Emily could see deep pain in his eyes and she longed to kiss his pain away. But she didn't move.

"Kate is not the woman I thought she was. All the time we've been together, she's had another man waiting in the wings."

"Sonny, are you sure?"

"Yes. She admitted it. She's sleeping with Ric's father, Trevor Lansing."

"Ohmigod – I'm so sorry."

"It's better that it ended. She isn't Connie Falconeri anymore."

"Connie who?" Emily asked.

"It's not important," Sonny said. "I'm just glad that you're here."

"It sounds like you needed a friend just as much as I did."

"I'm glad you felt you could come to me, Emily. I just wish you hadn't waited so long."

"I never wanted to bother you. Plus it was just hard …"

"What?"

Emily sighed. "It's hard being around you when we're … not together. It just seemed so awkward."

"It shouldn't be," he said. "Just because we ended things, doesn't mean our feelings for each other had to end too. I want you to be able to come to me – for anything. I want to be there for you, the way you were there for me."

"Thank you, Sonny," Emily said. "I really appreciate that."

"You don't have to be a stranger."

"I can't believe we haven't seen each other since Carly married Jax," Emily said. She grimaced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."

"It's fine. Carly and I aren't going to be together. We've moved past that. We'll always love each other but … but not in the same way that I …" His voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Say it," she commanded him, her heart drumming in her ears. Was he going to say that he still had feelings for Emily?

"I meant I don't feel the same way about her that I felt about you."

Emily didn't know how to respond.

They sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments and then Emily said, "Sonny, I think I should go."

"Do you have to be somewhere? It's after midnight."

_I should be anywhere but here,_ Emily thought. _Feeling so vulnerable and like I would melt into the ground if he touched me again._ "No, but Nikolas is probably going crazy – wondering where I am."

"Are you sure you want to go home to that son of a bitch?"

"I have to," Emily said.

"Why?"

"Because I live with him and we're together …"

"Do you really want to be with a man who pushes you around – doesn't treat you like the lady that you are?"

"Nikolas is usually the perfect gentleman. Maybe he had too much to drink …"

"Deke used the same excuse when he would beat my mother black and blue, and locked me in the closet where I could still hear her screams, and couldn't help her."

"Nikolas is nothing like Deke."

"Do you love Nikolas?" Sonny asked.

"Not in the same way I used to," she admitted.

"Then should you really be with a man you don't love totally and completely?"

Emily decided to be honest. "Sonny, the truth is, I haven't loved anyone as 'totally and completely' since you and I broke up."

Sonny didn't say anything but his eyes urged her on.

"The truth is that you ruined me for other men. I cannot find another man who I care about more. Every guy just doesn't compare to you."

"So you're settling with Nikolas?"

"No – I don't know …"

"I think you are. You should wait for the right man to come along …"

"I already found the right man – you," Emily whispered. "I tried so hard to get over you – I really did. But I just can't." Tears misted her eyes again. "The truth is that I will never find a man who treated me with more respect and loved me more than you did. And I don't want anyone else."

"Are you saying you still love me?" Sonny asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Yes."

"Emily, I am at a loss for words at the minute."

"Just tell me the truth. Do you still love me too?"

Sonny nodded. "Of course. You gave me unconditional love and tenderness – more than any other woman I've ever known. How could I not still love you when you changed my life?"

Emily couldn't hold back tears anymore and they came rolling down her cheeks. "Then why aren't we together?"

Sonny shook his head. "I don't know …"

Emily bravely reached for his face and forced him to look at her. "Can't we try again?"

"I don't know. You are so sweet and damn near perfect. I never want to hurt you."

"You wouldn't. You never could. You're a good man. You're not Deke."

"I would hurt you eventually."

"And I would hurt you too. But it doesn't matter because we love each other and will always love each other and find our way back to each other."

Sonny didn't say anything so Emily rushed on. "Sonny, my first instinct when I was hurt and scared was to run to you. I feel so safe with you; I feel loved. If you feel the same way about me, then tell me so."

"Of course I do. I love you more than life itself. But I never want to hurt you …"

"We will hurt each other; it's inevitable. But we will always return to each other because that's where we find our peace; our touchstone – with each other." Emily paused a moment then said, "Sonny, if you love me as much as you say you do, then you owe it to me – and yourself - to try and make a relationship between us work. You belong with me – and I belong with you. I will never find another man like you, Sonny, and I never want to."

Sonny nodded. "I love you, Emily, but I'll be damned if I ever break your heart …"

"Don't you see? You're hurting me now, Sonny, and yourself, by not allowing yourself to give into your feelings."

Emily boldly kissed him and she could feel his mouth ease open to accept her tongue. Then they kissed again, and it was even more passionate than the first.

"I want you, Em," Sonny said, touching her cheek. "In my life, always. I just want you period."

"I want you too."

"I want to take you to bed now, but I won't. We need to take things slow."

"I agree," Emily said. "But that doesn't mean we can't kiss some more." She smiled at him.

"You're right, it doesn't." Sonny pulled her into his strong arms, and kissed her again.

THE END


End file.
